Channel Marketing

Recently, IT market has been changing very intensively, and the distribution companies which work as intermediaries between vendors and partners have not missed these changes. The editors asked the leading players of this market to answer the question “To what extent have these changes caused the changes in marketing of distribution companies?” Anastasia Sokolova, Marketing Director of MERLION, is one of the speakers.

Question: Peter Drucker in his book "PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT" writes that business has only two roads to success: marketing and introduction of innovations. In what ratio are these two roads used in your company to achieve current success?

Anastasia Sokolova: The market today is so dynamic that marketing is already inseparable from the process of introducing innovations, which in turn requires constant studies of the changing market environment and the effect of the updates which are introduced. Therefore, we can say that the ratio is 50 × 50 <...>

Question: What do you call the implemented innovations?

Anastasia Sokolova: There are a lot of implemented innovations, and if we talk about the recent and most notable ones, this is, first of all, the platform for promoting cloud services, created by experts MERLION. In the process of its development, the provider of cloud services “Rentsoft” and the developer of specialized software platform Velvica were integrated into the distributor's structure. Thanks to the created “showcase of cloud solutions”, the users have the opportunity to choose and connect the services they need, and their developers and providers can, if necessary, adjust their products to the needs of specific projects and customers. Moreover, we are improving the process of exchanging electronic documents with our partners, constantly updating the B2B-system, where, in particular, the server configurator has been seriously modernized. Moreover, we have updated the sites of retail projects “Citilink” and POSITRONICA <...>

Question: How often are adjustments made to your company's marketing strategy?

Anastasia Sokolova: We are drawing up a plan for the year with details for the nearest six months. As for the adjustments, they have to be made according to the situation. The market remains largely turbulent, depending on the global political and economic situation, and many external and internal factors, and it is necessary to adapt to it as quickly as possible <...>

Question: What partners loyalty programs are currently on in your company?

Anastasia Sokolova: MERLION uses individual approach to partners, so we can say we have as many loyalty programs as active counterparty companies, and today their number is more than eight thousand <...>

Question: How often does your company review the product portfolio and who participates in it?

Anastasia Sokolova: MERLION follows the promising product niches which could contribute to the expansion of the product portfolio. Here, the key are the opportunities for long-term work in the selected segment and the availability of reliable partners which can ensure the development of business. With this, the movement is also on the part of producers – we are regularly offered new brands for promotion, as well as well-known trademarks on special terms. Here the key is the similar point – the strategic importance of the Russian market for the manufacturer, its readiness to provide service, supply volumes, update the model range, etc. for a long period <...>

Question: Does your company use the help of marketing consultants?

Anastasia Sokolova: We cooperate with leading Russian and foreign analytical agencies to monitor the situation in various market segments. Moreover, we invite experts to prepare thematic reports at significant partner events. In particular, specially for MERLION IT Solutions Summit which took part last autumn, the leading experts of well-known Russian and European consulting companies and analytical agencies have prepared research on topics relevant for our partners – system integrators <...>

Question: How widely do you use social networks in marketing and which of them give the greatest feedback?

Anastasia Sokolova: If we talk about the effectiveness of social networks, then for the distributor it is slightly less than for our retail projects Citilink and POSITRONICA, and for the service “Network of computer clinics”, which serves both corporate and private users. As a distributor, we have a well-established network of regular partners, we strive to build the most personalized interaction with each of them. n this process, the B2B system is used to automate routine operations, and information is sent via e-mail and other channels selected by the partner. Complex issues which require additional discussion are clarified in the course of direct negotiations with our managers <...>

Question: What services ensure your company accessibility in 24/7 mode?

Anastasia Sokolova: B2B system is the basis of interaction, it ensures the speediness and automation of most routine processes, including the configuration of solutions, for example for servers, by the partner himself. In addition to B2B, all modern communication channels are used, the choice of which is determined by the partner's preferences <...>

Question: Does your company use functions outsourcing or outstaffing?

Anastasia Sokolova: We do not use outstaffing. As for outsourcing, without it, it's impossible to run even a small business today, not to mention a large multi-profile structure, such as MERLION. Our partners are professional translation and travel agencies, printing houses, companies from the exhibition and film industry, service providers for analyzing the information space and many other specialized organizations.